Talley earns San Angelo title

Jacob Talley makes a 4.0-second run Friday night to close out his winning runs through the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo. He finished with three runs in a cumulative time of 11.5 seconds to win the crown. (RIC ANDERSEN PHOTO)

SAN ANGELO, Texas – For Jacob Talley, riding fast horses is imperative if he hopes to make a living in ProRodeo.

Talley did just that over the past three weeks, knocking down three animals in 11.5 seconds to win the steer wrestling title at the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo. In all, he pocketed $9,642 and continues to push his momentum through the early part of the 2018 season.

“You could tell from slack last week that it was going to be fast,” said Talley, a 2016 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Keatchie, La. “None of those steers were running super hard, and the setup worked pretty well. We knew coming into the short round that it was going to be a fast bulldogging.”

It was. Scott Guenthner of Provost, Alberta, and 2016 world champion Tyler Waguespack of Gonzales, La., won the round with 3.7-second runs, but Talley finished third; his cumulative time was just two-tenths of a second ahead of runner-up Dakota Eldridge of Elko, Nev.

“It’s one thing to just place here and there, but I’ve been pretty consistent since the year turned over,” Talley said, referring to Jan. 1, three months after the 2018 season began in October. “It just helps to keep the ball rolling.”

He had some motivation. After earning his first ticket to ProRodeo’s grand finale two seasons ago, he just missed out on returning to Las Vegas – he finished 18th, and only the top 15 in the world standings advance to the NFR.

“Finishing 18th after making it the year before and not having a very good finals, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth,” said Talley, who has earned more than $30,000 this season and remains near the top of the standings. “I’m a man on a mission at the moment.”

He proved it in this west Texas city of nearly $101,000. He just missed earning a check in the opening round, then had a 3.4-second run in the second round to finish in a four-way tie for first place. Just competing in on Championship Friday was special, but winning the title made the repeat trips to San Angelo even better.

“That place is pretty awesome,” he said of San Angelo Coliseum. “They pack it every night. It’s pretty electric when you can run in a performance, especially the short round. It’s almost like a whole other level. It’s a small building, packed and loud. It’s not the same as the NFR, but it’s loud, so rodeo-wise, it’s comparable to Vegas.”

He hopes to return there, just most of the winners on Friday night. Bareback rider Logan Corbett of Las Cruces, N.M., was the only 2018 San Angelo champion who hasn’t played on the sport’s biggest stage.

For team ropers Clay Smith and Paul Eaves, their fourth season together is already looking to be one of their best. The two have qualified NFR three straight years together – Eaves was there three times before with reigning world champion header Dustin Bird. But through four and a half months of the 2018 season, Smith and Eaves have earned more than $38,000 each and sit No. 1 in their respective disciplines.

“Everything this time of year certainly helps you out,” said Smith, a header from Broken Bow, Okla. “There are a handful of good rodeos this time a year that a guy needs to do good at so you can set yourself up for the summer.”

San Angelo is one of the biggest and best large indoor rodeos in the country. Because it’s a wintertime stock show, the money won becomes even more valuable for the contestants that make their livings on the rodeo trail.

“This is really cool, because it’s a really good rodeo that I’ve always wanted to do good at,” said Eaves, a heeler from Lonedell, Mo. “Clay and I are on the same page and want to do good. We’re always looking for good horses and trying to do better all the time.